


With the Reverb in his Veins (and in his Mouth)

by frozenCinders



Category: Kamen Rider OOO
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, accidental love confession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:22:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29964255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frozenCinders/pseuds/frozenCinders
Summary: Ankh had insisted that he had no interest in the festival, but he ends up pretty easy to find, admiring the fireworks from the nearby park. Gotou approaches just because it's his instinct by now to get Ankh alone whenever he can.
Relationships: Ankh/Gotou Shintarou
Kudos: 2





	With the Reverb in his Veins (and in his Mouth)

**Author's Note:**

> in case it's unclear, their relationship in the canon of this fic was a secret, casual, real dislike turning to fake hate sort of deal; [gestures at all my other ankh/gotou fics for reference]

He's sitting on an empty picnic table, his entire body avoiding the benches on either side, heels dug in in front of him and all. He's got a half-finished ice cream bar held up to his mouth, eating it slowly and idly as he's fully distracted by the display in the sky. Gotou should be distracted too, the noise booming and popping in his ears and his chest, but he's much more fascinated by Ankh's face and the colorful lighting splaying out over it than by anything that's happening up above them.

Ankh is normally too clever and perceptive to be caught off guard, but he doesn't seem to notice Gotou approaching at all. He breathes in, prepared to admonish Ankh for not sitting properly, but it's just as a firework goes off that really seems to catch Ankh's attention, eyes widening and mouth falling open in fascination as he stares up, trying to stave off the urge to blink. It steals Gotou's words away, and something else comes out instead.

"I think I love... you..."

He pales as he's saying it, only realizing with horror what the words are as they're coming out. Ankh whips around to face him, just as shocked. He quickly looks Gotou up and down, and then past him at something else.

"Uh--"

Just as he's about to backtrack and start trying to defend himself, a hand claps down on his shoulder and he jolts hard. Rigidly turning around, he sees that it's only Date.

"I was wondering where you wandered off to. Come on, we're all getting oden! Anko, you're welcome to come, too," Date offers, too unperturbed to have possibly heard what Gotou had just said.

Ankh scoffs and takes a bite out of his ice cream, pretending to place his attention elsewhere. Once Date's back is turned, Gotou looks back at Ankh, finding that their eyes meet right away. Unable to respond now, Ankh nods to the side, indicating that he'd like a word with Gotou.

That's only fair, he supposes.

Hino and the rest all notice how stiff Gotou is, but Chiyoko, bless her heart, assumes it's because he isn't used to letting himself have fun. He's content to let her think that, playing along simply by omitting the truth and nodding from time to time. Date in particular is determined to show him a good time, but nothing can wrangle Gotou's mind away from the mess he's just made, nor the conversation he's about to have with Ankh.

As Date will normally stick to Gotou like glue, he has to politely ask for some time to himself and garner concerned glances from the group before he can sneak away. Luckily, Hino hasn't gone looking for Ankh yet, so he's right where Gotou had left him almost an hour later, still fussing with a bare popsicle stick.

"I don't think I quite caught that, before," Ankh says, eyes still on the sky. "Want to say it again?"

"Uh... no," Gotou declines, voice a little unsteady for more reasons than just the chill in the air.

Ankh turns his head and smirks at him, mouth pulling to his left like it always does.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Gotou tells him, preemptively disturbed just by the look on his face, "I didn't mean to say that. I just... I was going to--"

"Gotou. How could you have possibly said that by accident?"

It's a great question. Gotou would like to know the answer, too. Ankh takes his terse silence as an admission, remaining painfully smug.

"Will you sit properly?" Gotou sighs, finally getting back to what he was originally _supposed_ to have said. The two phrases are absolutely nothing alike.

Ankh looks him over like he's considering it, budging his leg and almost making like he's going to slide off the table and sit on the bench like a human, but he doesn't.

"Bribe me," he says, flinging the stick at Gotou. He sighs again.

"I'm not getting you ice cream."

"I didn't tell you to get me ice cream."

Gotou tilts his head, genuinely wondering what could possibly motivate Ankh besides ice cream or medals.

"Hey, Gotou?" Ankh addresses after a prolonged silence. "I've always wondered... do you have a brain in that head of yours?"

"What's your problem now?" Gotou asks, feeling more and more like the answer is supposed to be obvious.

Ankh beckons him closer without looking at him, shamelessly distracted by a string of red and yellow fireworks above them. Gotou allows himself the view as well, slow in his approach so he doesn't trip while he isn't looking, yet still he almost stumbles over the bench. His hand comes down to ensure his balance, landing squarely on top of Ankh's. Hurriedly, Gotou pulls away.

His backwards momentum is halted almost immediately. When he looks down, Ankh has a grip on his hand, loosening a bit when Gotou doesn't try to move. He says nothing, acting as if nothing is out of the ordinary. Sitting beside him, Gotou extends him the same courtesy.

When there's a pause in the fireworks, a moment of dim silence, Ankh speaks.

"When did you realize it?" he asks.

"I... don't have an answer for you. I really didn't mean to say that. It was..."

A series of fireworks pop off, red then green then blue, the colors shimmering on Ankh's face like they would on his feathers. Gotou finds his throat is a bit tight.

"... a moment of weakness," he finishes quietly.

Ankh laughs silently, offering little other than a guffaw as far as noise goes. His smiles are normally quick and sardonic, but Gotou sees genuine joy in his eyes when he looks at him. He reasons that it has to be smug satisfaction, that it just _looks_ like he actually wants Gotou to love him, that really he's making fun of him in that annoying, clever head of his.

Ankh releases Gotou's hand and turns his body so his legs swing over the other side of the table, his upper body falling backwards and hanging off of Gotou's side to hover over the bench.

"Oops. I fell," he says flatly. "I think I would consider this a moment of weakness. Who knows what kind of things I might say?"

"Oh, stop it," Gotou hisses at him, pushing at his upper back to raise him up, but Ankh pushes back to stay where he is.

"I could say anything. I could say I love you too."

Gotou freezes, the pressure his hand was applying halting abruptly.

"... You could, hypothetically," Gotou agrees softly.

Ankh steals a quick kiss while Gotou is distracted, and then sits back up onto the table, turning longways again to continue lounging and watching the fireworks. Gotou's hand finds its way back to Ankh's.

Somehow, he's craving ice cream.

**Author's Note:**

> based on a screenshot of a pair of texts i saw:  
> "i have feelings for you
> 
> sorry i was having a moment of weakness"


End file.
